


triangle

by jangjoos



Category: Golden Child (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M, Polyamory, Slice of Life, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, background bojoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-21 22:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15567267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jangjoos/pseuds/jangjoos
Summary: they say the triangle is the strongest shape found in nature.Donghyun sighs contentedly. Jibeom scoots over, moves close enough to put an arm around Jaehyun, who reflexively leans in. And it's like they've fallen into place; the three of them fit together like puzzle pieces, like the sides of an equilateral.





	triangle

 

Bong Jaehyun is very pretty.

Donghyun knows this. Everyone around him knows this. Hell, even the sun seems to know this, what with the way it kisses Jaehyun's pale golden locks, the way it highlights the glint in his eyes, the ever slight complexion in his skin, the blonde of his hair. As the teacher drawls on about calculus, the late afternoon sun shines through a window, light bursting through and settling on Jaehyun like a spotlight on stage, his hair glows like a halo. Very, very pretty. 

With a loud sigh, (Perhaps a bit too loud. Several heads turned around to glance at him.) Donghyun closes his notebook, sets his chin on his desk, and just  _ stares.  _ He was never quite the type to wax poetic, not about anybody, but Jaehyun. Well. There's something special about him. He's  _ different.  _ It's been a long, long time since he'd last had a crush, and they were never quite so intense, but Jaehyun. Well. He's  _ different. _

The bell rings, but Donghyun barely hears it. Soon enough, the classroom is left completely empty, save for the teacher staring pointedly at him from the front.

  
  


“I don't know, Jooch. It's just been so hard for me to keep up. The lessons go by so quickly.”

Joochan raises an eyebrow at that. “Donghyun, it's  _ review.  _ You should know all this.”

“Still difficult.” Donghyun shrugs nonchalantly and closes his locker. 

Donghyun and Joochan evidently share little similarities, despite being as close as they are. Joochan’s messy stacks of loose papers rather serve as a sharp contrast to Donghyun's neatly arranged assortments of books and folders. It is, perhaps, an irony that Donghyun should be the one to seek Joochan's help in this situation. “So, are you gonna give me your notes, or are you gonna let me rot?”

“Fine,” Joochan concedes with a frown. He puts down his bag, digs out his notebook, and hands it to Donghyun. “But it's not like you to struggle with this stuff-”

“And it's not like  _ you  _ to be so nosy,” Donghyun jibes back, graciously accepting the notebook before hoisting his bag onto his back. “I’m going to the internet cafe. You coming?”

Joochan shakes his head. “I've got a club meeting after school today. Sorry.”

Donghyun suddenly smirks. “Which club? Nail art?” 

“I-it's an important life skill!” Joochan says with a sniff, picking up his own bag. “Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. Give me back my notebook first thing in the morning.”

Donghyun agrees. The internet cafe is but a short walk away, located somewhere on the corner of the street, bordering the intersection. When he arrives, he orders an energy drink from the counter and settles into his usual spot, plops his backpack down and takes out his books; however, as soon as he cracks Joochan’s notebook open, he lets out yet another loud sigh. Somehow, he had forgotten just how terrible the guy’s notes were. After about fifteen minutes of trying to decipher Joochan’s unintelligible writing amongst the sea of “Choi Bomins” scribbled all over the pages, he gives up, spends another fifteen minutes finding the notes online instead. 

Suddenly, someone taps his shoulder. Donghyun tenses, then whips his head around. A stranger, a handsome stranger blinks, appears taken aback for a second, yet still maintains an amiable smile.

“Hello,” he says, putting a hand on the chair next to him. “I was wondering if this spot’s taken. There’s an energy drink here, so um-”

Donghyun hesitates dumbly for a second before responding. “Oh! No, it’s open. That’s mine. Sorry.” 

The stranger nods, passes the half-empty can back to him before setting his bag down next to the chair. A long stretch of time passes in silence. Ten minutes? Maybe twenty? He says no more, however, Donghyun can’t help but notice inexplicable heat rise to his face, coloring his cheeks. 

“Hey,” the stranger suddenly blurts out. “Do you come here often?”

“Every other day,” Donghyun replies idly. He turns around, desperately hoping that he isn’t flushing as hard as it feels like he is. “Do you?”

“Nah. I wish I knew this place existed. It's very nice,” The stranger laughs, then pauses for a second before quickly extending a hand. “I'm Jibeom, by the way. Kim Jibeom.”

“Kim Donghyun.” Donghyun takes Jibeom's hand and shakes it firmly. “Yeah. It's one of my favorite spots around. Nobody really bothers you here.”

Jibeom grins. “Ah. True that. Am I bothering you right now, then?”

Donghyun feels his own smile reach his eyes, then. “You're really not.”

  
  


From that moment on, Jibeom visits the internet cafe a few times a week, permanently occupying the spot next to Donghyun since. Donghyun, of course, doesn’t mind this. They generally mind their own business, sometimes making a bit of small talk, although Donghyun quickly learns that Jibeom isn’t exactly one for small talk. That's alright though. Quite honestly, neither is Donghyun.

“What school do you go to?” Donghyun asks one day. He’s writing a lab report, a thing he’s been given plenty of time, lots of time to work on, but he prefers to finish things long before the due date. It’s a nice habit, a healthy habit.

“The nearby university,” Jibeom replies. “I’m a first year.” 

Donghyun thinks for a moment, surprised. “I see. I’m a high school senior. Should I call you  _ hyung _ , then?”

Jibeom trips over his words for a moment, blushes and stutters. It’s the first time Donghyun’s ever seen him lose his composure like this, and it’s simultaneously perplexing yet amusing. 

“I...started school a year early,” Jibeom finally manages to say.  “We’re the same age, I think. There’s no need.” 

So that happened. Donghyun notices himself smiling  _ that  _ smile again, the eye smile, for the rest of the day, playing the encounter over and over again in his head, grinning giddily as he thinks about just how  _ cute  _ Jibeom is despite his seemingly cool exterior.

  
  


It's late into the afternoon, all the students have long but left, the sky's about to fade into dusk. Jaehyun’s senior basketball team had just won a home game, congratulating each other before quickly dispersing and going home. Jaehyun, however, remains at school for a while longer, sits on a locker room bench, lost in his thoughts. There had been something lurking on his mind for the entirety of the game, a face in the crowd that he couldn't quite forget. 

But it doesn't make sense. Jibeom graduated from the rival school a year ago, why would he have been watching a basketball game? Let alone an  _ away  _ game instead of a  _ home  _ game. Jaehyun exhales, wiping a lingering bead of sweat off his forehead as he ponders. Back when Jibeom was still on the team, the two of them had developed a rivalry of sorts, vowing to beat each other in every game they played. Jibeom got the last laugh, eventually, but Jaehyun's team has been doing so much better since. 

Jaehyun leaves the locker room with a huff, slamming the door so hard that the noise echoes across the entire school. He goes on to pace restlessly across the empty halls, going wherever his legs decide to take him. There's music coming from the basement. His legs decide to take him there. 

Students use the dance studio sometimes. It isn't anything new. More often than not, the music comes from a team of dancers practicing a choreography for an upcoming competition, a group of friends simply hanging out late into the afternoon, or, most likely, the school's star dancer practicing alone. Somehow, before he even reaches the studio, Jaehyun knows that it's the latter. 

And everyone in the school knows the star dancer, Kim Donghyun. He's practically a celebrity as it goes, having won countless awards for the school; some say he's already long on his way to becoming a professional dancer. Jaehyun and he share many mutual friends, but for whatever reason, he's always been a bit hesitant to talk to him. Perhaps it's intimidation, perhaps it's something more. 

The music grows ever louder as Jaehyun approaches. He then stands in the hallway outside the studio’s open door, leans against a wall and watches Donghyun dance for a while. Jaehyun isn’t too sure what that  _ something more  _ could be, but at this moment, he thinks it surely has something to do with the way Donghyun moves, the way his body practically  _ flows  _ to the rhythm, exuding a confidence that sharply contrasts with the way he presents himself daily. Not that Donghyun at school isn’t absolutely  _ adorable  _ with his shy smiles and-

After watching for a while, the music stops. Donghyun freezes, breathing heavily, and turns around to glance at the doorway, at Jaehyun. Jaehyun doesn’t know what gives him the courage, then, to shoot him a sly wink before walking away. 

  
  


It’s funny how lives intertwine sometimes. The following week, Jibeom spends time with Donghyun at the internet cafe, as per usual- such has become routine for him at this point. He diverges from routine when he decides to pay a visit to the local gymnasium, to the badminton courts. Bong Jaehyun's there, locked in a rally with someone at one of the end courts. Jibeom sits on a bench nearby, takes out his phone, and simply waits. 

A while passes. Jaehyun’s rally partner leaves eventually, leaving Jaehyun free to sit down and take a break. He approaches Jibeom’s spot, slinging his racquet over his shoulder, and perhaps Jibeom feels his breath catch a little when their eyes meet. That boy’s always been something.

“Wanna play?” Jaehyun asks, offering him a shuttle, and it’s just like old times again. Jibeom nods, and soon enough, they’re hitting that shuttle back and forth across court, reading each other easily from years of friendship (?) and rivalry. Jibeom scores a point on Jaehyun by smashing the shuttle right into the ground. Jaehyun quickly makes up for it by clearing a shot just out of the other’s reach. Neither of them acknowledges that it’s a match, that it’s yet another competition, but Jibeom’s counting the points in his head. And he knows, absolutely knows that Jaehyun is doing the same.

Jaehyun wins in the end. Maybe that’s only appropriate. Jibeom catches his breath for a moment before taking a few steps forward, and the two of them meet halfway across the court.

Jibeom reaches a hand out to Jaehyun over the net. “Good game.” 

He takes it briskly, no expression crosses his face. “You played well.” 

They move to the benches. Another couple immediately occupies their court, effectively taking a rematch out of the equation. After sitting in utter, awkward silence for a while, Jaehyun suddenly takes a breath. 

“You knew where to find me,” he says, almost accusingly but not quite. “You knew I’d be here.”

Jibeom purses his lips. “Maybe.”

A wayward shuttle lands at Jaehyun’s feet. With an expert hand, he tosses it back to its owners. 

“You’ve been coming to my games.” This time, there’s much more accusation in his tone.

“Maybe I just like watching you play.” Flirting with Jaehyun comes naturally to Jibeom, now, perhaps too naturally. “You’re very pretty.”

Jaehyun rolls his eyes. “I know.”

Another long stretch of awkward silence. It’s Jibeom who breaks it.

“Look, I’ve been meaning to ask. Can we talk?” 

A long, long sigh. Jaehyun scratches the back of his own head, ruffling his blonde hair, a gesture that Jibeom has always found quite endearing.

“You think it'll work out this time around?”

“Anything’s possible.”

“Coffee, then. Usual spot. Tomorrow at ten,” Jaehyun then says without a moment's hesitation. 

And when Jaehyun leaves Jibeom alone on the bench, Jibeom rather thinks that although they sat next to each other throughout the exchange, it still felt like they were being seperated by that badminton net.

“It’s a date,” Jibeom whispers to nobody in particular.

  
  


Donghyun doesn't think a cup of coffee beats a nice can of his favorite energy drink in the morning, but it usually works just as well. Besides, cafes have nice atmospheres. It's not like he needs to get any work done, but it's just nice to have that option. He checks his watch. It's only 9:56, there’s plenty of time to just do whatever today. Maybe he'll pay a visit to internet cafe again, play some Overwatch before noon, then meet up with Joochan, Bomin, and Youngtaek for that lunchtime study date, then go home and review his notes for Monday's test one last time. Yes. A good plan.

But Donghyun tenses as he spots a familiar mop of blonde hair near the front of the line, from his table when he's finished ordering and had already taken his seat. 

Jaehyun glances over his shoulder once, looks at the door and shows no sign that he's spotted Donghyun. Donghyun briefly entertains thoughts of leaving, but leaving requires going near the door, and who should come in through the door at this time but Jibeom.

Jaehyun waves at him, and Jibeom nods back. Donghyun watches as they take a seat together and begin to mutter words he can't hear. At first, he thinks something along the line of  _ cool, they know each other,  _ but after a while, it begins to bother him a little. There's something in the way Jibeom looks at Jaehyun as he speaks, something in the way Jaehyun laughs at Jibeom's jokes. Just.  _ Something. _

And when Jibeom leans in to peck Jaehyun on his cheek, when Jaehyun giggles in response and tries to hide his face with his palms, it all clicks. 

  
  


Jibeom frowns. “You know the guy that just left?”

“You know Donghyun?” Jaehyun asks in surprise, putting down his iced americano.

“I see him sometimes.” Jibeom taps his fingers on the table. “Hey, can I tell you something?”

“What’s up?” 

“I might have a crush on him. Just a little.” 

Jaehyun raises an eyebrow. “Kim Jibeom, can’t you save your pining for after we break up again?” 

“We’re gonna break up again?” Jibeom blinks. “Wait, we’re dating? Already?”  

“Well, I mean, if our track record says anything, it’ll probably happen soon,” Jaehyun says with a shrug, taking another sip. “And yes. This  _ is  _ a date, isn’t it?” 

They’ve been dating on and off for the past few years, Jaehyun thinks, perhaps ever since Jibeom first moved in from the countryside. It’s weird. Every time they break up, they miss each other dearly, but when they’re  _ together _ , things simply don’t feel right. It’s like they’re missing something.

“I mean, yeah, I guess this is a date. But It’s the first date. You wouldn’t say we’re really  _ dating _ , right? And I thought we just met up to discuss terms and stuff.” Jibeom taps his fingers on the table. “Quite honestly, I thought it’d take much longer to convince you.”

“Well. Surprise, then.” Jaehyun looks around the room. He then drops his voice to a whisper. “You know, I think I may have a crush on Donghyun as well. A tiny crush.” 

“Really? Huh. Interesting,” Jibeom mutters. Something glimmers in his eyes, then, something Jaehyun has come to associate with a thought, an idea. “Wanna come over afterwards?”

“Taking me home after the first date, love? Wild,” Jaehyun snickers. Jibeom gives him a good kick to his shin.

  
  


Donghyun drops his bag at the entrance of the dance studio, running through the steps in his head. He connects his phone to the speakers, presses play, begins to dance. Every muscle within him awakens in an instant, every instinct, every pulse of adrenaline. Thunder courses through his limbs. The song isn't necessarily a heavy one, but it's got a fast tempo; however, Donghyun is nothing if not an expert. It's easy. Five, six, seven, eight. 

It's enough to distract him. But from what? He doesn't want to  _ think, _ tries to stop himself from mulling. But about what? 

_ Jibeom. _ The name flashes into his mind like lightning, strikes suddenly when he takes a step. Yes. About him.

Donghyun shakes his head vigorously. That's not part of the choreography, but he does it anyway. No, he’s not supposed to be thinking about  _ him _ , he’s not supposed to be mulling over  _ that _ . That’s why he came down here in the first place. God, he’s such a mess.

_ Jaehyun.  _ That name pours into his thoughts like heavy rain, flooding his entire head. For a moment, a brief moment, he misses a step, nearly trips over his own feet. Yes, him too. He’s very pretty.

The song slows down a little, gives Donghyun room to think. So Jaehyun’s dating Jibeom. His crushes are dating each other. Not that he should be having two crushes in the first place, but whatever. It’s weird. He isn’t sure about Jaehyun, but Jibeom always seemed like he liked him back, if only a little bit.

Chorus. The music picks up again; one, two, three, four. Donghyun doesn’t miss another beat.

  
  


It's Monday. Jaehyun passes Donghyun in the hallway. He smiles at him, but Donghyun only nods back, curiously keeping his head down. A few periods later, Jaehyun arrives early for math class, meanders into a relatively empty classroom. Donghyun arrives shortly after, setting his stuff down on the desk directly behind him. Jaehyun turns around, and he doesn't miss the inkling of bewilderment in Donghyun's eyes.

“Hi,” he greets, if not a bit awkwardly. “We haven't talked before, right?”

Donghyun shakes his head. “Don't believe so. Hi.”

Jaehyun hesitates for a moment, then reaches out his hand. “I'm Jaehyun. Bong Jaehyun.”

“Yeah. Everyone knows you,” Donghyun replies, tongue in cheek. “I'm Donghyun. Kim Donghyun.”

“Everyone knows you, too.” Jaehyun smiles a little. “Nice to meet you, Donghyun.”

At this point in time, more students begin to filter into the classroom, the desks fill up around them. Class starts soon.

“Likewise,” Donghyun says, a little stiff. He's shifting a little, Jaehyun notices. Shy. That's  _ cute.  _ Or maybe he’s just nervous for the math test that’s literally gonna happen in a minute, yeah, that’s a possibility.

Sure enough, the teacher arrives. The test begins. An hour or so of scribbles, sniffles, and silence passes before the bell rings again. Donghyun’s one of the first to leave the room, but Jaehyun quickly catches up to him, speedwalks and weaves across the crowded hallway.

“Hey,” he says, a bit breathless. “How’d you find the test?”

Donghyun looks up. Jaehyun looms over him a bit, just a little bit. “Fine. Pretty easy. How about you?”

“Easy?” Jaehyun frowns. “I got stuck on several questions.”

“Oh? Which ones?” 

Jaehyun thinks for a moment. “I don’t really remember them? Like, you know the last one? The one with the rocket and the buildings?”

“I probably do,” Donghyun replies firmly. “I’m going to the internet cafe later. If you come with me, I can probably go through them with you?”

Jaehyun agrees without much thought.

  
  


“But where did seven come from?”

When Jibeom walks into the internet cafe, he’s surprised to find Donghyun and Jaehyun, of all people, reviewing math questions at one of the tables at the front. With a shrug, he decides to sit with them. 

“Hey, Jibeom,” Donghyun greets, and Jaehyun shoots Jibeom one of those precious puffy cheek smiles of his. “Anyways, seven comes from here. It’s what you get when you cancel these two out and reduce that, see?”

Jibeom, without much to do, watches for a while. Donghyun’s extremely patient, and while Jaehyun’s a great listener and student, he’s impressed by how gentle and kind Donghyun is when explaining the problems. It’s like a whole new side of him he’d never known. Eventually, Jaehyun gets it, the math talk fades away.

“Man, you’re a lifesaver.” Jaehyun stretches his arms out, takes care as not to hit Jibeom. “Where were you before the test? You could’ve saved my grade.”

Donghyun scoffs. “You talked to me before the test. It didn’t help you much.” He turns his head around. “Sorry about all that, Jibeom.”

Jibeom snaps his head up and blinks. “Oh what? No, it’s okay, really. You guys are cute together.” Then, realizing what he just said, he puts a hand over his mouth, glances worriedly at Jaehyun.

Jaehyun, to his surprise, smirks in response. “Cute, huh?”

“No, I mean like, both of you are so cute and seeing you together is really nice and I like both of you a lot and-” Jibeom decides that this is a very good time for him to shut up.

Donghyun raises an eyebrow at this. “Aren’t you two supposed to be dating?”

The room goes silent. The internet cafe is usually a quiet place, saturated by only the noises of typing and occasional conversation. Someone sneezes.

“Okay, confession time?” Jaehyun puts an elbow on the table, rests his cheek on his palm. “I like both of you a lot, too.” He shoots Donghyun a wink.

“I-” Donghyun stutters, caught off guard. “Well, yeah, same. I’ve been crushing on the two of you for. A while now?”

Jibeom steals a glance at Jaehyun, and Jaehyun nods pointedly. 

“Interesting,” he says, thinking. 

  
  


“So why don’t we all just date?” Donghyun suggests, as the three of them walk out of an ice cream place together. “That’s a thing, right?”

“Definitely a thing,” Jaehyun agrees, pointing to a bench. “Let’s sit down.” 

Donghyun, harboring a bit of a sweet tooth, had recommended the ice cream place beforehand. It’s by the riverside, and the bench nearby directly faces the other shore. A light breeze blows across the area, and the temperature’s not too hot, yet the sun’s shining brightly and the weather still calls for ice cream.

“Well, it’s a thing,” Jibeom interjects. “But I’m worried. Jaehyun gets jealous easily.”

Jaehyun puts a hand over his heart in mock hurt. “Not true!” 

“You know Donghan?” Jibeom continues, turning towards Donghyun, who shakes his head. “He was a classmate of mine in high school. Posted a picture of us together, once. Jaehyun wouldn’t speak to either of us for an entire  _ week _ .”

Donghyun couldn’t help himself. He giggles a little. 

“To be fair, that was a  _ very  _ suggestive photo. What was I supposed to think?” Jaehyun huffs, tossing a crumpled napkin at Jibeom’s face. Jibeom catches it with ease.

“Jaehyun, you weren't even  _ dating  _ me at the time. You literally had nothing to be jealous about.” Donghyun’s practically laughing his heart out at this point, unbeknownst to the fact that he’s clutching tightly onto Jaehyun’s shoulder. 

In that moment, they fall into place easily, more easily than any of them can imagine. And maybe it’ll work out. Maybe things don’t have to be complicated in order to work. With the birds chirping and the sun shining and the scarce clouds rolling overhead, maybe things are, in actuality, much simpler than they seem.

  
  


So, Jaehyun joins Jibeom and Donghyun at the internet cafe occasionally. Every day, Donghyun and Jaehyun meet at the front gate before school starts. Jibeom and Jaehyun do whatever they do as a couple. It's a nice arrangement. 

“So,” Jaehyun begins one day, while he's walking with Donghyun, heading to class. “How do you feel about PDA?”

Donghyun thinks for a moment. “Fine with it. I prefer lying low, though.”

Jaehyun nods, adjusting his backpack a little. “Same. But Jibeom says I'm clingy.” He turns around. “You’ve dated someone before, right? Choi Bomin? You guys didn't seem lowkey.” 

Right. Bomin. That ex of his that Joochan’s been pining over for the longest amount of time now. It's tiring. Perhaps staying away from your best friend’s ex is something of an unspoken rule, but sometimes, Donghyun wishes that the two of them would just get together and kiss already. Although they would, almost doubtlessly, be the most obnoxious of couples. 

“Honestly, I think that's what drove us apart.” Donghyun purses his lips. “He couldn't stay away from me. Got the entire school talking about us. It was too much pressure for me. At the time.”

“How about now?” Jaehyun inquires.

Donghyun feels his lips curve into something of a smile. “I think I'd be fine with little things.” He then suddenly stops walking.

“Ah, that’s my classroom. See you in a bit?”

“Hug me before you go?” Jaehyun grins back, stretching his arms out invitingly. “Is that a little thing?”

And Donghyun happily obliges, though he has to tiptoe a bit to reach, to wrap himself around him. Jaehyun's warm, warmer than he could ever have imagined, he's big and fluffy and precious and smells so nice, being so close to him makes Donghyun feel something bloom inside of him. It’s like hugging the sun itself. He never really considered himself the type to wax poetic, not about anybody, but Jaehyun. Well. There's something special about him. He's  _ different _ .

  
  


**_Beom <3:_ ** _ hey sorry if this is a little last minute _

**_Beom <3:_ ** _ but do u want to go get dinner w me? _

**_You:_ ** _ Today?  _

**_You:_ ** _ Oh, that's fine! _

**_You:_ ** _ Is Bongjae coming? _

**_Beom <3:_ ** _ no its just the two of us.  _

**_Beom <3:_ ** _ he doesnt have to know. ;) _

Donghyun can’t help but roll his eyes at the wink emoji. Jibeom must be hyperaware of how much time he and Jaehyun spend around each other at school; evidently, Jaehyun isn’t the only one who ostensibly gets jealous easily. Donghyun gets dressed quickly, makes a point to wear his nicest shirt, considers wearing a tie, but later decides that it’s a bit excessive- even if they’re going to a fancy restaurant. Quite honestly, he's never really seen Jibeom as the type to go fine dining, but this may prove to be a bit of a special occasion for him. 

They meet right outside the restaurant, and Donghyun waves at Jibeom just as he looks up from his phone. Jibeom waves back. 

“You look handsome today,” Donghyun comments, reverently eyeing him from head to toe. Jibeom went with the tie, though his shirt’s got a few wrinkles on it here and there. He doesn’t usually dress so well, though. It’s a refreshing change.

“Are you implying that I’m not always handsome?” Jibeom jokes. He then takes Donghyun by the hand, gently pulls him forward. 

Donghyun allows himself to be led into the restaurant. “Well, no. Of course not. You’re stunning,  _ hyung _ .”

That gets him a choked noise from Jibeom, a noise that he could only laugh at. Hand in hand, they walk inside, get seated and settled, begin to look through the menu.

“The food here's expensive,” Donghyun comments, idly flipping through the pages.

“Ah, don't worry about it. It's my treat this time.”

“You sure?”

Jibeom looks up from his menu and pouts. “Donghyunnie, let me spoil you.”

“Fine. Just this once.” Donghyun sighs dramatically, takes a sip out of his water. “You’re so  _ nice _ , Jibeommie.”

Conversation with Jibeom comes smoothly, easily. They talk about school, about their families, about their lives. But, of course, neither of them were quite the ones for small talk. Soon, the topic of conversation inevitably turns to Jaehyun. Donghyun mentions their hugs, the way Jaehyun clings to him sometimes, the little language of affection the two of them had developed together. 

“Sounds like he’s ahead of the curve, then,” Jibeom says. He sounds a little bit disappointed, if nothing else.

“Huh?”

“Oh.” Jibeom leans close, his voice takes on a bit of a conspiratorial tone. 

“I’m not supposed to tell you this, actually.” 

“So tell me,” Donghyun demands lightly, propping his elbows on the table. 

“Well.” Jibeom’s eyes drag downwards, fixate on Donghyun’s lips. “Jaehyun and I have...a bit of a bet going on. We’re trying to see which one of us kisses you first.”

“Ah.” Donghyun leans back. “So that’s why you brought me here.” He spreads his arms out, gestures at everything. “Seducing me with a fancy romantic dinner. What a gentleman.” 

Jibeom lets out a sheepish laugh. “Yeah. There was an ulterior motive to this. Sorry about that.”

“It’s an ulterior motive I can get behind.” Donghyun nods, shoots Jibeom a wink. He doesn’t miss the way the older boy’s face flushes at the gesture.

Kim Donghyun’s anything but a stranger to kissing. His first time was in freshman year; out of nothing but curiosity, he’d kissed Joochan behind the bleachers after a track meet, a moment of pure passion and youth that he’ll likely never forget. There was also, of course, the many times he’d kissed Bomin during their short time together, and that one time he’d kissed Youngtaek in a particularly heated game of spin the bottle. Perhaps somewhat miraculously, Donghyun’s still completely cool with all of them today.

A meal, a few conversations, and a bill later, Donghyun instinctively links his arm to Jibeom's as they leave the restaurant. Jibeom, the gentleman that he is, insists on walking him home for the night- and really, who is he to decline? A few steps outside of Donghyun's door, under the watchful gaze of a full moon, Jibeom wins the bet. Donghyun rather thinks there's no delicacy in the world that could compare to the taste of Jibeom on his lips.

  
  


Donghyun snuggles closer to Jibeom, head tucked snugly into the crook of his neck, hair all soft and fuzzy on his skin, almost ticklish. Jibeom smiles fondly, comfortingly massages Donghyun's shoulder with one hand and casually tries to steal Jaehyun's popcorn with another.

“Get your own,” Jaehyun complains, making a futile attempt to shuffle away from him. Unfortunately, Jibeom's couch is much too small to allow such a degree of personal space.

“Love, a relationship like this is all about compromise.” Jibeom reaches out with both hands and grabs yet another wad of contraband popcorn. This abrupt motion appears to disturb Donghyun, who whines pitifully as he tries to stay as close to Jibeom as physically possible.

A few days ago, Jibeom had suggested that they have a little sleepover, just the three of them. His roommate, Sungyoon, is currently away on a trip to Japan, so Jibeom has the dorm to himself for the next week or so. Perfect time to invite his boyfriends over.

Jaehyun rolls his eyes. “Yesterday, you said it was all about communication.”

“That was so that I could brag about kissing Donghyun.” The way Jaehyun had seethed at him yesterday? Priceless.

Donghyun raises his head, looks up at Jibeom skeptically. “Jibeommie, you'd make a terrible criminal. You confess so easily.”

“Ah, but sweetling, I'm already a criminal.” Jibeom winks back at him. “I’ve stolen your heart.” Donghyun snorts in response, decidedly unamused, before lazily sprawling out over his lap.

“And my popcorn,” Jaehyun mutters under his breath. From here, he could reach Donghyun's head, so he runs his fingers through his hair a few times. Donghyun sighs contentedly. Jibeom then scoots over, moves close enough to put an arm around Jaehyun, who reflexively leans in. And it's like they've fallen into place; the three of them fit together like puzzle pieces, like the sides of an equilateral. 

“It’s compromise, love. Compromise.”

They just stay like that for a while. Quiet. Satisfied. After a bit, Jaehyun breaks the silence with a hum. 

“It's late. We should sleep.”  

As if to back up his statement, Donghyun rolls over, groggy from tiredness. “Mm. Is Beom's bed big enough for us?”

“Probably not,” Jibeom admits. “I'll sleep on the couch. You guys take the bed.” 

He tries to get up, but Donghyun refuses to move, effectively restricting his mobility.

“Can I sleep here instead?” Donghyun mumbles, voice muffled by a pillow. “M’tired.”

Jibeom laughs and ruffles his hair. “Okay. That's fine, sweetling. Just wait a second, I'll tuck you in.”

Jaehyun's already at the entrance of his bedroom, leaning against the doorframe. Watching intently. As Jibeom haphazardly grabs an extra blanket and puts it over Donghyun, he's acutely aware of Jaehyun's eyes on him, glaring so hard that he's almost sure they've burned a hole into his back.

Donghyun looks over at Jaehyun with a sly smirk on his lips, then locks eyes with Jibeom again.

“Kiss me goodnight?” 

Jibeom smiles fondly. “Of course.”

He leans in. By the time his lips meet Donghyun's, he's pretty sure that Jaehyun's already disappeared into the bedroom, unable to force himself to watch. Something cruel inside of him wills him to take his time. And perhaps it's worth it when, as soon as they're sure Donghyun's asleep, Jaehyun pulls Jibeom onto the bed and kisses him as deeply and harshly as possible in vengeance. 

  
  


Donghyun's phone rings in the middle of a study session. Joochan and Youngtaek suddenly look up at the same time, like gophers, ears pricked and eyes curious.

“Hey babe,” Donghyun says. Joochan clings to Youngtaek and laughs.

“Yeah? Oh. Really? Alright, will do. Love you too. Bye!”

Joochan lifts his eyebrows obnoxiously. “Was that your boyyyyfriend? That Jaehyun kid?”

“No, it was the other one.” Donghyun nonchalantly opens his bag and begins to put his books back inside.

“Two boyfriends? Ugh, lucky.” Youngtaek pouts as he leans back in his chair, only to realize just in time that it's actually a stool. He almost loses his balance, narrowly stopping himself from falling off by waving his arms around, very nearly smacking Joochan in the face. “Some of us can't even get  _ one.”  _ And, of course, the guy continues to talk as if nothing’s happened.

Donghyun shakes his head at Youngtaek's antics, then turns to Joochan. “Speaking of boyfriends, where's yours? I thought he was joining us today.”

“Oh. Yeah. Um, Bomin had something going on last minute,” Joochan stutters out, taken off-guard. “I’m meeting him in the afternoon, though.”

_ Single life, best life, _ Youngtaek chants under his breath.

Donghyun snickers. “Alright. I'm going to the dance studio if either of you need me.” He stands up and swings his bag over his shoulder. “At least  _ try  _ not to get distracted, guys.”

“No promises!” Joochan calls after him.  Youngtaek echoes this sentiment.

  
  


There's little to no doubt that Donghyun already knows he's here. But infuriatingly enough, the boy keeps dancing, runs through his choreography so many more times such that and Jaehyun feels like he's going to go crazy waiting to be acknowledged by him. Although there's absolutely no denying that a dancing Donghyun is a passionate Donghyun, a beautiful Donghyun.

And when that Donghyun's sitting on the floor and taking a break,  _ still _ adamantly refusing to look over, Jaehyun eventually loses his patience and clears his throat.

“Oh, hello,” Donghyun greets without turning around. “Didn't see you there.”

“Liar,” Jaehyun says fondly. He walks over to him, footsteps clicking loudly on the studio’s polished wooden floor.

“Alright, fine,” Donghyun responds with a breathless laugh. Jaehyun sits down beside him, possessively slings an arm over his shoulder. “I thought you liked to watch me dance. I thought you didn't want me to stop.”

“Mm. I wouldn't have.” Jaehyun turns to his side. “But you owe me something,  _ sweetling _ .” That's Jibeom's petname for Donghyun, but he really doesn't care at this point.

“Oh?”

Jaehyun meets Donghyun's eyes and grins. “You've kissed Jibeommie  _ twice _ already, yet you've never even kissed me once. How is that fair?”

Donghyun squeezes his hand, looks up at him with a smirk. “You’re right. It's really not.”

  
  


And when a fellow student pulls Jibeom aside one day with worried eyes, urgently tells him that he caught his boyfriend kissing another boy in a dance studio, Jibeom can only laugh.

“Well, it was about damn time,” he tells the kid. 

  
  


When their two-and-a-half-week anniversary rolls around, (A cause for celebration because, apparently, Jibeom and Jaehyun have never really lasted that long as a couple before.) Donghyun briefly wonders if it's ever too early to tell someone that he loves them. He decides that no, it's never too early, and as an unforeseen consequence, his two boyfriends very nearly suffocate him with hugs and kisses. 

“Love you too, sweetling,” Jibeom professes as he holds Donghyun against his chest. Donghyun tries to let out a muffled protest, but eventually he stops struggling, just lets it happen.

Jaehyun looks at him incredulously. “Do you love me, then?”

Jibeom gives him a small smile “Maybe a little.” 

As Jaehyun attacks him with more little pecks and smooches, Donghyun once again contemplates about how maybe things don't necessarily have to be complicated in order to work. With the sound of Jaehyun's laughter, with Jibeom’s warmth at his side, maybe things are, in actuality, much simpler than they seem.

**Author's Note:**

> things i hope you noticed  
> -2hyun's height difference  
> -"hyung"  
> -bojoo  
> -that's it really  
> -yeah it isn't really detailed this was just 6k words of self indulgence
> 
> thanks for sitting through this uwu please love this ship with me and um find me on twitter @bojooch if you want to spaz out with me about them thanks <3


End file.
